Photography of wildlife – animals, birds, plants, events

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GIRAFFES Twiga in Swahili

I was lucky to be able to see 3 different types of subspecies of giraffes in Kenya. Giraffes have unique pelt patterns.

The Maasai giraffe have deep brown spots that are shaped like oak leaves.

The Rothschild or Baringo giraffes are an endangered species and are already extinct in south Sudan. There are less than 670 living in the wild. They are unusual as they are the only giraffe that are born with 5 ossicones (horns) and they are the tallest of the giraffes.

Their markings are less jagged than the Maasai giraffe and are lighter in colour. These giraffes have no markings below the knee so it looks as if they have white stockings.

The third type of giraffe I saw was the reticulated giraffe or Somali giraffe. Their pelt is a lighter brown and shaped like polygons.

Here are some photos of Maasai giraffe at sunset on the Maasai Mara. There were 14 of them that gracefully walked along the hill with a colourful sunset behind.